Former Chairman
Biography
Deborah Platt Majoras was sworn in as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission on August 16, 2004. She left the Commission in March 2008.
Majoras' tenure as FTC Chairman has been marked by the Commission's strong efforts to protect and enhance consumer welfare. She has focused on ensuring data security and protecting consumers from emerging frauds, such as identity theft, spyware, and deceptive spam. In May 2006, she was appointed by President George W. Bush to be Co-Chair of his Identity Theft Task Force. Majoras also has focused on increasing the efficiency and transparency of the merger review process, implementing sound antitrust policy regarding intellectual property, increasing efforts to prevent anticompetitive government policies, and strengthening cooperation with consumer and competition agencies around the world. She is a vigorous proponent of empowering consumers by providing information on market risks and the benefits of a competitive marketplace.
From April 2001 through 2003, Majoras served first as Deputy Assistant Attorney General, then as Principal Deputy, of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. During her tenure, she oversaw matters involving numerous industries including software, financial networks, defense, health care, media and entertainment, banking, and industrial equipment. She also served as Chair of the International Competition Network's Merger Working Group and oversaw policy initiatives such as the FTC/DOJ Health Care Hearings, DOJ's Merger Review Process Initiative, and the Mergers Best Practices Project.
Prior to her government service, Majoras was a partner in Jones Day's antitrust section. While at Jones Day, she represented clients on civil and criminal antitrust litigation matters, including mergers and acquisitions, monopolization, price-fixing, distribution issues, and governmental investigations. She also was a member of the firm's technology issues practice.
Majoras is the recipient of the International Association of Privacy Professionals' 2007 Privacy Leadership Award and RSA's 2007 Award for Excellence in the Field of Public Policy. SC Magazine named her one of the Top Five Influential IT Security Thinkers in 2006, and Washingtonian Magazine listed her among the "100 Most Powerful Women in Washington." Majoras is a frequent speaker on competition and consumer protection policy issues to national and international audiences.
Majoras graduated summa cum laude from Westminster College, where she now serves on the Board of Trustees. In 1989, she received her J.D. from the University of Virginia, where she was awarded the Order of the Coif and served as an editor of UVA's Law Review. Majoras is a member of the American Bar Association's Section of Antitrust Law, where she most recently served as Vice Chair of the Section 2 Committee and as a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee. She also served as a non-governmental advisor to the ICN and was named by President Bush to serve on the Antitrust Modernization Commission.
Majoras resides in McLean, Va., with her husband, John Majoras.